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Dr. Larry WoolfGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation

April 10, 2014www.ga-asi.com

www.sci-ed-ga.org

Physics in Industry: From Personal Story to National

Perspective

UCSD Physics Colloquium

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Outline

Part 1: personal perspective (n=1)• An example of an industrial physics career• An example of education possibilities in

industry Part 2: national perspective (n>1)

• Second graduate education in physics conference

• Perspective of others and model systems Concluding remarks

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Part1 : Personal perspective

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My Brief History

PhD UCSD, Low temperature heat capacity of magnetic superconductors, Prof. Brian Maple 1980

Post-doc at Exxon Research, 1980-1982

Hired as solid state physicist at General Atomics (GA) in 1982 to help develop non-nuclear programs. At GA for 31 years – mostly materials R&D

Every story and perspective of life in industry is unique and changes depending on the stage of one’s career

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Graphite and intercalated graphite fibers- potential lightweight electrical conductors

• Set up low temperature high H lab to measure magnetoresistance

Graduate school →

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Neutron transmutation doping of silicon in TRIGA reactor – determining doping/fluence,

measure properties

→ Radiation damage

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Model thermophotovoltaic energy conversion systems and test cells – space nuclear power

→ High temperature materials + optical properties

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Develop/test high temperature electrical insulators for potential space nuclear

power systems

• Direct heat to electricity• Thermoelectric• Thermionic

• 100V, 1300K, high neutron fluence

→ Ceramic materials

High temperature materials + radiation damage →

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HTS discovered: Led high temperature superconducting (HTS) wire development

project

• 7 years, papers, patents, presentations

• Effort was commercially unsuccessful

Graduate school + ceramic materials →

→ Thin film coatings

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Design and fabricate one-way imaging materials for windows

Thin film coatings + optical properties →

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One-way imaging film – multilayer coatings

T1

T2

Transmittance 1 = Transmittance 2

R1

R2

Reflectance 1≠ Reflectance 2

400-700nm

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One-way imaging window film at Rome Airport

http://www.usglassmag.com/Window_Film/BackIssues/2003/March-April03/X-TEX.GIF

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What’s in your wallet?

Multilayer coatings – color changing pigment

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Evolution of job responsibilities over time

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 20150

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20

30

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50

60

70

80

90

100 R&D using knowledge learned in schoolR&D using new knowledge Manage technology developmentManage programsManage people/facilities

% o

f T

ime

Sp

en

t o

n A

cti

vit

y

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Levels of employment in industry: Level ~$ (physics) (Aviation Week and Space Technology

2009 Workforce Study)Level 1. Individual contributor working under direction of

technical leadership ($66K)Level 2. Improved knowledge of product, some self-

direction, contributes to engineering estimates ($80K)

Level 3. Significant knowledge of products, decisions may have significant impact on costs, schedule, and performance. ($99K)

Level 4. Serves as system architect, recommend tools and techniques for continuous improvement, lead preparation of proposals ($120K)

Level 5. Develops product and technical roadmaps and competitive assessments, leads or reviews proposals ($138K)

Level 6. Industry expert in knowledge of products and systems, directs sophisticated design, analysis and testing of complex systems, provides direction on strategic technology plans for company ($177K)

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What do I do all day?

Physics• Generate ideas, develop/design solution to problems

Development• Develop overall plan (product must be manufacturable)• Initial development to pilot scale production

Communication• Write/review reports/programs/proposals: technical,

cost, contractual• Prepare/give presentations • Discuss plans/issues with technicians, engineers,

scientists, managers Management

• Manage and schedule both people and equipment• Safety, quality, intellectual property, strategic planning

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Major differences between industry and university

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)

• Industry: TRL

2-9

• University:

TRL 1

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Advantages of Careers in Industry

• Goal is development of a product• Satisfaction of seeing your efforts make a

difference to people• Opportunities for patents, business development• Challenge of not just doing science, but applying

science to technology, then figuring out how to commercialize it in dynamic marketplace

• Challenge of learning how to perform R&D and scale-up under schedule, cost, equipment, quality, personnel, facilities constraints

• Varied career opportunities: science, technology, manufacturing, program management, group management, quality

• Many different projects; constant learning needed• Pay, bonus pool, stock options

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Disadvantages of Careers in Industry

• Often minimal publications/presentations and interactions with peers due to proprietary, export controls, security issues

• Reduced likelihood of being recognized for your achievements from an academic perspective, e.g. awards, fellowships

• Focus on a defined goal (NOT curiosity driven)• Limited freedom to pursue your personal

interests• No sabbaticals, no tenure• Need to rapidly reinvent yourself as technologies

and business areas change

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My15 Point Guide to Success

1. Be responsive – return phone calls and emails promptly. When asked to do something, do it on time – be sure to ask when it should be done. Document requests and responses in writing.

2. Become the world expert in your particular area. 3. Continually expand the depth and breadth of your

knowledge and skills.4. Utilize all information resources available - books,

science magazines, web sites, search engines, search services, colleagues, patents, trade magazines, catalogs, sales reps, conferences.

5. Get involved with or develop projects that have a high probability of contributing to the company’s success.

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My 15 Point Guide to Success

6. Understand and be aware of project constraints such as your personnel and company capabilities, competitor’s strengths, and customer needs.

7. Innovate continuously. Always push your envelope as well as the science and technology envelope. Stay uncomfortable with what your skills and knowledge are.

8. Document your work in manner that can be easily understood by a co-worker a year from now. Use spreadsheets, tables and charts to convey your results in a concise, visual, and easy-to-understand manner.

9. Make sure that you learn something useful from any tests or experiments that you perform. These results should form the basis for future tests.

10. Learn from your mistakes. Don’t repeat them.

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My 15 Point Guide to Success

11. Don’t believe everything you are told, even if it is company lore or told to you by an expert. Be skeptical.

12. Enjoy your work.13. Treat everyone you work with (above and below

you) with respect. Thank them for their work. Acknowledge their contributions whenever possible. Keep them informed as to what you are doing and why you are doing it.

14. Have a sense of humor.15.Develop a unique and necessary skill and

knowledge set that complements those of your co-workers and greatly increases the value of your project/team. Be indispensible.

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Education activities are possible in industry

Outreach program started at GA in 1992 Many companies have education outreach

programs Details and funding are highly dependent

on the company, management support, and the initiative and desire of the individual scientist

Co-developed materials science module, then graphite pencil module

Led to work with APS, NSF, Lawrence Hall of Science, BSCS, CA science standards

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The color wheel

Confusion about primary colors and correct color wheel

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Publicity for the correct color wheels …

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Blue water confusion: Light Matters Poster

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Misconceptions about seasons

Including Private Universe Project

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A guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory …

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And another

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…and another

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Curriculum designer, writer, and content reviewer for middle and high school science

program

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Conclusion of Part 1

Physics careers in industry• Varied• Rewarding• Dynamic• Challenging• Many aspects not included in standard

graduate curriculum (see Part 2)Education opportunities in industry

• Depends on personal motivation and corporate culture

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Part 2: National Perspective

Increase the sample sizeSecond Graduate Education in Physics

ConferencePerspective of others

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2nd Graduate Education in Physics Conference Preparation for Non-Academic CareersPanel session 1 with 3 panel members Breakout session 1

• Non-academic careers• Improving the graduate curriculum: multi/inter

disciplinary courses• General professional skills: leadership/team

building/communicationBreakout session 3

• University, industry and national lab partnership for graduate education

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Panel Session 1: Preparation for Non-Academic Careers

Zelda Gills (Lockheed Martin Corp.)  Alex Panchula (First Solar, Inc.) Kathy Prestridge (Los Alamos National Lab)

Moderator: Larry Woolf (General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.)

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Prestridge (LANL) take-aways

Technical research skills • Collaborations across experiment, theory,

modeling, simulation • Intellectual agility: applying existing knowledge

to new situations Communication skills

• Technical results to other technical experts and program managers

People skills • Listen to/respect/value: technicians to senior

management

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Prestridge summary

Project management skills• Define project scope, set schedules and budgets • Report incremental/monthly progress to

management Evolution of professional skills

• Should begin in graduate school and not be a step function

“Agile, out-of the box thinking, communication, management, and people skills are hard requirements for future researchers”

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Panchula (First Solar) Take-Aways

Gaps in physics education• Exposure to toolsets used in industry: software,

programming, statistics• Business methods

Need to train physicists to write “the how” not “the what” in resumes• Instead of “Magnetotransport in Magnetic

Nanostructures”• Use: “Experimental design, execution, data

analysis and mathematical models of complex systems”

Invite alumni in industry to speak to students

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Interesting Comments – Panel Session 1

Nobody makes an effort to teach stat mech for physicists and chemists and engineers

Courses should provide connections to multiple scientific and applied topics – interdisciplinary

Need to change culture that students who go into industry are failures

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Breakout Session 1: Non-academic careers Take-Aways (Zollner)

Most graduate students will not have academic careers – students should be informed about employment statistics

Lack of tracking of career paths of PhDs Lack of knowledge of skills that PhDs find

valuable in their jobs Need to set realistic educational

objectives and then survey alumni to demonstrate they have been met

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Interesting Comments – Improving the Graduate Curriculum: Multi/Inter Disciplinary Courses

Need to show students connections to modern applications• Too many theorists teach graduate courses• Experimentalists more likely to make

connections Make students active participants in

learning Core curriculum should be updated to be

relevant but each department should decide implementation

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Conference Findings

Most physics PhDs will have non-academic careers

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Majority of Physics PhDs are in Industry (NSF, AIP)

Career Outcomes for PhD Physicists – Information from the NSF’s Survey of Doctoral Recipients, by Michael Neuschatz and Mark McFarling (AIP Statistical Research Center report)

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2008 NSF Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR)

34,900 employed physicists 13,000 at educational institutions (37%)• 9,700 are post-secondary physics teachers

(28%) 21,900 at non-academic institutions (63%)• 17,200 at private (49%)• 3,500 at government (10%)• 1,200 self-employed (3%)

Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States: 2008; Tables 2, 8http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf13302/pdf/nsf13302.pdf

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Physics Doctorates Initial Employment (AIP)

Potentially permanent positions accepted by PhD classes of 2009 & 2010• Academic: 23%• Private sector: 57%• Government: 16%• Other: 4%• N=365

Table 1 at: http://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/statistics/employment/phdinitemp-p-10.pdf

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Largest employers as of 1998 – most recent AIP survey!

Largest 19 Employers*Raytheon Corporation

IBMLockheed Martin

CorporationLucent Technologies

Boeing CompanyEastman Kodak

CompanyScience Applications

International Corporation

General AtomicsHewlett-Packard

Company

Northrop Grumman Corporation

AT TSchlumberger LimitedMotorola IncorporatedRockwell International

CorporationSeagate Technologies

Osram SylvaniaMaxwell Optical

IndustriesVarian Associates

3M Company

* The above companies employ 30% of industrially-employed PhD physicist members.

SOURCE: AIP Membership Sample Survey, 1998 

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Conference Findings

Provide career information and guidance• Faculty should educate both themselves and

students about non-academic career paths and employment statistics

• Invite speakers/alumni from local industries (Thank you!)

• Resumes and letters of recommendation should reflect broadly on what students can do

• Provide skills that are broadly valued in industry

• Departments should intentionally provide preparation for non-academic careers

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Conference Findings

Expert learning and innovation skills• Apply existing knowledge to new situations –

engineering/applied focus• Solve well defined and ill-defined problems• Use software, toolsets common in industry,

statistics • Exposure to intellectual property• Graduate classes can include more

modern applications and connections

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Conference Findings

Leadership• Conceptualizing and planning projects• Focus team on attaining goals• Keep team and stakeholders informed• Graduate students can develop

leadership― Leading their thesis research― Mentor junior graduate students

and undergraduates assisting with their PhD

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Conference Findings

Project Management• Define project scope• Develop and follow schedule• Develop and follow budget• Graduate students can use their thesis

research as their project (track progress to PhD)

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Conference Findings

Communication Skills• Verbal

― Co-workers, technicians, program managers, upper management, funding sources

• Written― Monthly reports, proposals, white papers, test

plans, test results, final reports― Graphs and tables for technical and non-

technical audiences• Graduate students can hone these skills via

thesis updates to advisors and fellow graduate students

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Conference Findings

Interpersonal skills• Work productively with a team as leader or

member• Listening skills• Interact with customers

Later stage graduate students can lead early stage graduate students and interact with funding sources

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Conference Findings

Proposal Writing• Proposals to internal customers• Proposals to external customers• Develop planning, research, and writing

skills Graduate students can:

• Assist their professors in proposal writing early in their research

• Take leadership role in proposal writing later in their research

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Conference Findings

Industrial Research Experiences and Connections• Connections with industry: research

collaborations/internships provide students with better understanding of non-academic careers

• Need to value a broad range of career paths Possibly connect with engineering or

business schools for professional skills training

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Conference Findings

Professional masters programs include many business/professional skills

PhD programs could use professional masters programs as template

Topics covered in ScienceWorks at Carthage College

Douglas N. Arion, “Things your adviser never told you: Entrepreneurship’s role in physics education,” Physics Today, August 13, 2013, p. 42-47

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Conference Conclusions

Majority of physics PhDs will have non-academic careers: Graduate programs should consider this fact

Students need professional skillsCourses should include connections

and modern applicationsNeed to engage non-academic

physicists

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Recent Physics Doctorates: Skills Used Satisfaction with Employment Data from the degree recipient follow-up survey for the classes of 2009 and 2010 Garrett Anderson and Patrick Mulveyhttp://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/physdoctorates0910.pdf

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Recent Physics Doctorates: Skills Used Satisfaction with Employment Data from the degree recipient follow-up survey for the classes of 2009 and 2010 Garrett Anderson and Patrick Mulveyhttp://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/reports/physdoctorates0910.pdf

Survey of MIT ME Grads ‘92-’96Source of Learning

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

UNDERLYING SCIENCES

UNDERLYING MATHEM

ATICS

MECHANICS OF SOLIDS

MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF M

ATERIALS

SYSTEMS DYNAM

ICS AND CONTROL

DYNAMICS

FLUID MECHANICS

THERMODYNAM

ICS

HEAT TRANSFER

ENGINEERNIG DESIGN PROCESS

MANUFACTURNIG

ENGINEERING REASONING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

EXPERIMENTATION AND KNOW

LEDGE DISCOVERY

SYSTEM THINKING

PERSONAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES

INDEPENDENT THINKING

TEAMW

ORK

COMUNICATIONS

EXTERNAL AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT

ENTERPRISE AND BUSINESS CONTEXT

MARKET CONTEXT

DEVELOPING AN IDEA

DESIGNING

TESTING

grad school

MITungd

did notelse-wherejob

From MIT S.B. June 2004 Thesis of Kristen Wolfe, under Prof. Seering via Prof. Woodie Flowers

ME Core Professional skillsHow &

Why

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Is Industry Really a "Nontraditional" Career? by Jeffrey Hunt, Boeing Corporation

Physicists cannot do:• electrical engineering as well as electrical

engineers.• chemical engineering as well as chemical

engineers.• software engineering as well as software

engineers.• mechanical engineering as well as mechanical

engineers.• optical engineering as well as optical

engineers. Given these facts, why would anyone want to hire

a physicist? The answer: Physicists can do 80% as well as the

experts on all these tasks, whereas each of the experts' abilities goes quickly to zero once outside their disciplines.

http://www.aps.org/units/fiap/newsletters/201311/nontraditional.cfm

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Is Industry Really a "Nontraditional" Career? by Jeffrey Hunt, Boeing Corporation

industrial physicists [are] paid to come up with new ideas and adaptations on a daily basis

… you should be able to come into a scenario that you don't understand at all, get the background under your belt and be able to start to contribute quickly

That is what a PhD in physics is about. It is not about whether you're an expert within some given area of specialization. This is the message that we really should be sending to faculty who are training students.

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Peter Fiske – Useful skills

“Of the many skills you developed while in graduate school, which ones are the most valuable to you now?” • Learning to seek out problems and solutions • Ability to create • Ability to work productively with difficult people • The ability and courage to start something

even if you don’t know how yet

http://vspa.berkeley.edu/sites/vspa_space/files/shared/doc/Put_Your_Science_to_Work.pdf

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Peter Fiske – Job Hunting

Job hunting in the new century involves personal connections, chance encounters, and random opportunities

The more people you know, the greater your "job cross section"

Thinking about finding a job is stressful, demoralizing and produces anxiety. Actually doing something about finding a job is liberating, empowering and fun

You can serve science, your community, and your country in many different environments - don’t be afraid to consider a non-traditional career path just because it is unfamiliar to you, your advisor, your department or your family

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Getting hired and having a long career

“… you need to be very good at whatever you are hired to do. One aspect of communication is to let your colleagues know that you are being productive.”

“Being good at what you are hired to do will help you keep your job today. Constantly learning and growing in your abilities will help you remain competent tomorrow. Taking on project management responsibilities will broaden your experience and build your reputation and network of contacts. What you learn in the process will keep you employable, not to mention being more valuable to your company.”

Milton Chang in the Business Forum feature of Laser Focus World magazine, October 2009, p.33.

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My perspective

Preparing Physics Graduate Students for Careers in IndustryAPS Forum on Education Newsletter, Spring 2013

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PhD Physicist: View from Graduate School

Physics

Field

Thesis

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PhD Physicist: View from Industry

Physics

Engineering

FieldManufacturing

Program Mgmt

Product development

Technology Assessment/ IP

Proposal writing

Plans/ Reports

Modeling

Documentation

Presentations

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Conclusions

Most graduate physics students will have non-academic careers

Departments should intentionally prepare students for varied future career paths

Industrial careers are challenging, varied, interesting, rewarding

Educational activities are possible in industry